Full Moon in Taurus, Uniting Polarities

Full Moon Vision                                                Catherine Al-Meten

November begins as we enter through the portal to Celtic New Year. A time when cultures and traditions worldwide celebrate different holy days, it is a time when many culturs honor the dead. Transformation and change, a part of each and every life, is the nature of our life on this dynamic and beautiful planet. As we move into the darker, cooler seasons in the North and the warmer ones in the South, we all make adjsutments on our journey. November is a month to remember change and movement are permanent aspects of our nature and journey.

On Thursday, November 6, the Full Moon peaks at 14/26 Taurus. In the week preceding, the waxing Moon transits through Pisces and Aries. Look to this triad of house/areas of your life where the waxing Moon awakening you emotionally. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the name for November’s Full Moon (so-named by the Algonquin Tribe) is the Beaver Moon or the Frost Moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, the November Full Moon arrives just after Sanhaim, the Celtic New Year. 

At this time of the year, the seasonal changes become more marked, and Earth’s inhabitants prepare for winter. Beavers, who live in streams, rivers, and ponds, begin to cover the lodges they have  built to protect from predators and the elements.  Fall is the time for building and repairing dams. The expression, “busy as a beaver” probably arose from watching the aquatic animals preparing for winter in autumn. At the same time, it was a time when hunters set their traps.  What are we doing to prepare ourselves for changes? How are we adapting and taking advantage of the gifts of the season? How are we honoring, celebrating, and finding meaning and purpose in our lives?

The Full Moon is always a time of polarities-Taurus Full Moon in opposition to the Sun in Scorpio-calls us to unite oppositional qualities and traits present within ourselves and innate with Life itself. The Moon in Taurus reminds us of our earthy, pragmatic, and peace-loving nature and our desire to make our lives reflect  beauty, order, and practicality. The Sun in Scorpio reminds us of our deeper, more complex and profound nature, and our need to discover what lies beneath the surface. This full moon is one of the richest, most creative ones of the year. As we approach the Full Moon, let’s look at what we are bring to fullness.

After last months two eclipses (Lunar and Solar), and Mercury reflective retrograde cycle, our lives have been forced to focus on our Achilles Tendon.  A big believer that our biology reflects our biography, I have noticed with myself and with just about everyone I know, that our live, indeed our very bodies, have forced us to look at what we need to alter in order to be healthier, more creative, and authentic. We are, after all, energy bodies, and our physical bodies are affected by everything-emotions, internal and external conditions, physiological, psychological and mental health and well being, and environment. And let’s not forget, behavior―habits, patterns of thought and belief, and belief itself. What does your energy tell you about who you are and what is going on in your life right now?

To begin with, notice what part of your body has been most affected and has demanded your attention this last month. One friend’s eye was injured (6th Chakra-intuition), another hurt her ankle and neck (1st and 5th Chakras). I spent a week in agony with intestinal problems (1st and 2nd chakra issues). Several people have talked about trouble with migraines or tooth aches (5th, 6th, and 7th and chakra issues. The connection between the energy centers of the body and any imbalance, upset, or weakness, is not only a sign of some other type of imbalance but also of the connection between how we live (Taurus) and how we feel (Scorpio). 

My point is, pay attention to whatever may have been bothering you or whatever you have found challenging. Notice how the challenges or issues are calling you to notice where you are fighting against yourself in some way. Oftentimes, I hear people say things like, “He’s a Scorpio and I’m a Taurus-we can’t get along” or She’s an Aquarius and I’m water, a Cancer, and we just don’t see things the same.” The point of using astrology is not to isolate ourselves from those who are different and only go with those who are the same. The value is to see how we have elements of everything and everyone within us. To unite the polarities, to synthesize differences within us, is the gift.  We are ‘both-and’. 

Using the example of the 6th chakra, how can noticing how an injured eye can help us unite diversity within? What happens when we cannot use one eye? As a life-long astigmatism gal, I can tell you, the eyes compensate and support one another. If we can’t see well, what do we do? We slow down. We adapt. We adjust our vision by moving closer or looking at things from different angles. We wear prescriptive lenses or we do eye exercises-or both. If called for, we have the eye repaired. The eyes, our tools of visual perception, are really run by something much more magical and powerful than the optic nerve. What we perceive is affected by how we are thinking and what we are focusing on. The 6th Chakra, Ajna, is the eye of perception, imagination, intuition, and visualization. Adjusting the way we pay attention to this chakra, is bound to change if we are more intentional, quieter, and more reflective. How do we learn to trust our intuitive senses when our physical ones are impeded in some way?

A future article will look more deeply into how we can use our understanding of astrological influences to help us better understand our chakra/energy system and body-mind-spirit-emotion connections.

The Full Moon on November 6 falls on Almach in Andromeda. This is the same place that the October 8 lunar eclipse fell. Almach was released. Whatever energy was released in you at that time, is what has been rising up demanding attention. Some of it may not have felt good. And it certainly was probably not appearing as you expected or would have liked it. Nevertheless, that energy is speaking to you now. Look to the areas in your chart/life where this Full Moon is affecting. Using your perserverance and ambition, you now have the determination, stamina, inner strength, and patience to work for that which inspires you. Almach at this point of Taurus promises “honor, eminence, and artistic ability”. Taurus also rules the throat and neck, so using our voices and keeping our head in balance will help us maintain a sense of harmony in ourselves and in the way we live our lives. 

Neptune in Pisces squares Ceres in Sagittarius on November 8. Mercury is still in the shadow zone, though finally moving forward. The mystical and somewhat off-kilter energy of the Neptune-Ceres square, could indicate the misuse or potent reaction to any experimentation with mystical substances or practices. It is a time when the veils are thin, and when we are particularly vulnerable to influences we do not understand. Using our best and highest spiritual practices, and grounding ourselves with sane and sound support and guidance is crucial. Avoid experimenting with drugs or substances that are aimed to alter or change perception. Notice that you are already galvanized and energized in areas that require you to be thoughtful, reflective, and pragmatic. Any shamanic practices should focus on grounding in daily proactive and routines of simple, earthy ways to handle rising awakenings, memories, and insight. 

Patience in and through adversity is what is needed at this time. We need to continue learning how to live within challenging circumstances and conditions. We are learning to  align ourselves within the challenges and struggles to make our way through to the other side. With Pluto in Capricorn moving into alignment with Uranus in Aries and Chiron in Pisces, we are entering a period which lasts until mid-February, 2015 when we need to actively, purposefully, and patiently engage in working out whatever difficult feelings, situations, conditions, are blocking our way. This is a time when we gird ourselves with a willingness to not only stand in our truth but to see the truth of what is happening. Being willing to face the truth is what is needed now. Acting with conscience, authenticity, and congruence is needed to meet the challenges, to complete the journey. 

This month may be a time when we feel a sense that nothing we have done has been good enough or has resulted in what we hoped to achieve. Especially with regard to spiritual practices and spiritual connections, we may feel we are not in alignment, not connected, or not ‘getting it’. This month is bound to be one of fresh perspectives and renewal. It is a time when we feel renewed or faith filled. We begin focusing more on letting go and releasing ourselves in the surrender to the Divine, and less in holding onto or trying to manage our lives as a backdrop to some spiritual ideal. Being present, being open and receptive, and then being dutiful to the voice of the Divine as it touches each of us, requires eyes willing to see and hearts willing to receive. 

Pluto, Chiron, and Uranus are trailblazers, clearing the way ahead for those who choose the path. In a recent dream I had, “I saw a huge line of traffic on a large super highway. The traffic was jammed up, and people were getting out of their cars fighting, arguing, and making the whole situation worse. Together with my allies, I got out of my car, and found a path through the green fields that was barely used. In the dream, I was starting on a new path, and knew only that I had companions with me for the journey, and that the  journey was in fresh, untrodden territory through on a beautiful path through the woods.” For me, this dream represented, among other things, a need to depart from something that was blocking, challenging, and not going anywhere. There was no movement, yet I had the freedom and the insight to get out and move on. What is Pluto, Chiron, and Uranus clearing from your path? Where are you making transformational change, and what messages are helping you determine what is next, required of you? 

Oftentimes, when we go through such transformational periods, we are living life that looks very much like it did yesterday and the day before. Quite rightly, we are often called simply to adjust our attitude, change our perspective, as we discern and learn what lessons right before us. What is this situation, relationship, or condition showing me about my own growth, development, and process as a spiritual human being? French journalist and novelist once stated,"plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose”, an expression that gets translated, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” This reflects the understanding that what appears to be the same (an experience, a relationship, a cycle, a pattern), has many of the same ingredients. What makes the difference, what deepens a love, or expands an idea, or changes our attitude or perceptions, is something that transpires within our souls and within the simple choices of will we make, let go of, or in some way accept. Watch and see how the start of November awakens you to your own journey. Attitudes, beliefs, understanding, and the deep inner sense of consciousness is what is going through the most radical changes right now. Let go of whatever perceptions, fantasies, expectations, or ideals are no longer true for you, and notice how you are being called to a new level of awareness, understanding, and deepening. 

At the Full Moon in Taurus time, notice how the inner critic harps away at how unfair things are or niggles you to gripe, complain, or feel sorry for yourself―all signs of resistance to change. The Full Moon in Taurus can be a wonderful invitation to embrace new perspectives, be open to new opportunities, and heaven forbid, time to put your prayers where your heart is. Time to be honest with yourself about what you want and need. Time to surrender yourself to the Divine and to trust that when you do, you will receive. And when our prayers are answered, then the real work begins. We often stay whining and complaining, at the starting gate, waiting for something that is ours simply by acknowledging we are ready to take the next big step forward in growing, and receiving our next mission. What is coming is this. There will be countless new opportunities coming your way. Will you be willing to see them? Will you be willing to take the chance, even if you don’t feel ‘ready’? It’s up to each one of us to accept the Divine gifts we are constantly being offered.  Oftentimes this is because gifts require change, movement, and shifts, and they sometimes entail loss, letting go, and healing. We mistakenly see loss and change as something to fear. This month will give us wonderful opportunities to grow in how we learn to accept Divine good. 

Mercury’s straightforward movement and entry in Scorpio, enables us to be more sensitive to the intuitive communication. We begin to integrate the deep emotional insight of Scorpio with the pragmatic connections of first the Taurus Moon and then Pluto in Capricorn. We begin making connections, seeing how one small piece of news or a flash of an idea, do lead to others and form the intricate web of truth we so fervently seek. The Truth is within us, it is all around us, and it is there for us to access at will.

From now until it’s peak o November 10-12, Mars is forming  a powerful conjunction with Pluto in Capricorn. This brings active energy into whatever we have been preparing for for quite some time.  This “might makes right” combination can be tempered with understanding how power and energy needs to be used for choosing life and not choosing death. Watch this area of your life now, as it has been building up since Pluto first entered Capricorn several years ago. Whenever Mars moves into conjunction, it brings action and movement. What is moving and what is ready for putting motion into this area of your life? 

As Mars conjuncts Pluto, Uranus also  squares Pluto-a violent combination, it can be. especially for those with planets and aspects in Aries, Libra, Cancer, and Capricorn. Look to these four areas of your life to see where this powerful energy is most likely shaking things up. 

Venus in Scorpio, trines Chiron in Pisces on Nov. 2-3, providing new insight into love-related matters. Now is a good time to listen to your own heart, and ask yourself what drives your passion and need for love? How are your passions being affected by the life you are living? As Venus trines Chiron, we have a chance to heal from wounds and breaks, and from illusions and obsessive expectations. 

As Venus and the Sun are now parallel during this time, we long for harmony and fulfillment. It is a time when we feel great and deep affection for others. On November 3, when Venus forms a quincunx with Uranus in Aries, we may feel the urge to splurge. This aspect brings with it, impulsive urges.   

Take time to reflect this week, and slowly move into greater harmony, bringing a balance between deepening desires and daily living and spiritual practices. Be at peace as much as possible, within, and see each moment as a point of focus on the great journey of life and love.